Engine starter



April 26, 1932. w. M GRATH 1 1,855,580

ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Oct. 16 1935' 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 26, 1932. w, L, MCGRATH- 1 1,855,580

ENGINE STARTER Original Filed Oct. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet I 2 Patented Apr. 26, 1932 7 1 UNrTEo STATES PATENT OF IcEf WILLIAM L. MCGRATH, OF ELMIRA, LN'EW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO. ECLIPSE MACHINECOM- PANY, OF ELMIRA HEIGHTS, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK 1 I ENGINE s'mn'rnn Application fiiea October 16, 1925, Serial No. 62,817. .Renewed October 9, 1931.

' My invention relates to means for starting compared with the width of the key or spline I engines such as internal combustionengines 7, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. y p and moreparticularly to that part known as Thedriving member orpinion is connected the drive or transmission, which is located withthe driving head 4 of the sleeve by con- 5 between the prime mover and the engine to be nectors here in, the form of a pair of strips 55 started. The objectof my inventionis to 9 'made of suitable resilient material such provide a simple and eflicient form of drive as spring metal, whose ends are pivotally sewhose advantages in construction and mode cured to the head 4 and the disk 10 of the of operation will beapparent from the de-' pinionion opposite sides thereof by suitable 1o scriptionhereinafter given. means such as the screws ,11, whereby the 00 In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation pinion is properly positioned in the operaof an engine starter embodying my invention of the drive. tion, showing the driving member or pinion Describingacycle of operation of my drive in its normal position; 'Fig.'2a similar View and starting with the normal or idle position but with parts thereof in 'section andshowing illustrated in Fig. '1, when thestarting motor 65 the pinion in advanced position and abutting 1 is energized and its armature shaft rotated,

a member of the engine such asthe flywheel theisleeve 3 will likewise be rotated but the thereof; Fig. 3 a view similar to Fig. l'but pinion will not rotate owing to its inert-ia. showing the parts'of the drive in operating This will cause'the end of the connector ator engaged position; Fig. 4 a section on the tach'ed to thesleeve to tend to approach the :0 line H of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 an end view of the similar attachment on the pinion disk and pinion detached,fand Fig. 6 a detail view of therefore the pinion will be pushed longioneof the connectors. tudina'lly of the sleeve so that the connecting My invention may partake of different points remain at a substantially constant disforms and in the present instance I have ta'nce apart. In this instance the parts are illustrated and will hereinafter describe 7 a so proportioned and arranged that whenthe construction which efliciently embodies and pinion reaches. the position in mesh with carries out my invention. Referring to this the engine member such as the flywheel 12, embodiment, in which I have shown a prime as shown in Fig.3, the rotation of the sleeve 30 mover, the latter consists of an electric mo will have brought the spline? into contact tor 1 having an extended armature'shaft 2 with the side of the keyway 8 to drivingly on which the drive or transmission is'mountconnect the motor with the. engine member. ed and by which it is driven. The drive Whenthe engine starts on its ownpower comprises a hollow shaft or sleeve?) fitting the excess speed of rotation imparted by the 35 upon the driving or armature shaft 2 and flywheel to the pinion will reverse the operaterminating at its outer end in an enlargetion above described and will cause the pinion ment or driving head 4 which is removably to demesh' and the parts toassume their norsecured to such shaft'in suitable manner as mal position. by means of the screw 5 threaded into such In the event that the pinion teethv and flyhead and passing through the shaft 2, as wheel teeth should abut end to end, the pinion shown in Fig. 2. will be stopped in its longitudinal movement A driving member which is here in the form but rotation ofthe sleeve will continue until, of a pinion 6 is mounted upon the sleeve 3 as above described, the spline 7 drivingly confor longitudinal movement thereof and rotacts the side of the keyway 8. The parts 45 tary movement therewith, in the. present inwill then be in the position as shown in Fig. 2,

stance through a splined connection. To and as the distance between the attachment this end asleeve 3 is provided partway of its points of thefconnectors has thereby become length with a longitudinal key or spline .7 less than the normal length of such connecand the bore of the pinion is provided with tors, these resilient connectors will have be- 50 keyway 8 of considerable width or extent as come deformed as shown, and will urge the pinion into mesh with the flywheel as soon as rotation is imparted to it from the sleeve through the spline and keyway drive as above described, inasmuch as this rotation carries the tooth of the pinion out of abutting relation and into register with the space between the flywheel teeth, whereupon the parts will assume the position shown in Fig. 3.

I claim: 7

1. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for longitudinal movement into engagement with a member of the engine to be started and for limited rotary'movement relative thereto from normal position, and spring-metal strips having elfective lateral rigidity of longitudinal flexibility which are connected to the shaft and driving member and are tensioned in event of abutment of the driving and engine members until said driving shaft positively turns the driving member into proper engagement with the engine member.

2. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving. shaft, a driving member mounted thereon for longitudinal'movement intoengagement with agearmember of the engine to be started and forlimited rotary movement relative thereto from normal position, said driving member comprising a pinion having a disk at one end, and connectors connected with the shaft and disk for positioning the driving member and ar ranged to yield to permit said shaft to positively turn said pinion member into registry with the engine gear member inevent of nonregistering abutment of said members.

3. An engine starter drive including a motor-driven power shaft extending freely over and beyond a gear of an engine to be started, a driving shaft or sleeve mounted on said powershaft and at its outer end secured thereto for rotation therewith, a driving pinion mounted on said driving shaft for longitudinal movement thereon inwardly into engagement with said engine member and for limited rotary movement relative thereto from normal position, and resilient means connected between the outer end of said driving shaft and said driving pinion adapted and arranged to advancethe same when said driving shaft is rotatedand to be tensioned in event of abutment'of the driving pinion and said engine member. 7

4. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft having a longitudinal key, a driving member mounted on such shaft and having a keyway of a predetermined width greater than the width of the key, and means connecting in all positions the shaft and-driving member for positioning the latter normally with the rear side of said keyway adjacent to the key. I

5. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft having a longitudinal key, a driving member mounted on such shaft and having a keyway of a predetermined width greater than the width of the key, and resilient means connecting in all positions the shaft and driving member for positioning the latter normally with the rear side of said keyway adjacent to the key.

6. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft having a longitudinal key, a driving member mounted on such shaft and having a keyway of' a predetermined width greater than the width of the key, and connectors of predetermined length and connected at their ends to the shaft and driving member and normally positioning said driving member with its keyway rotarily ad vanced relative to the key.

7. An engine starter drive including a ro tatable driving shaft, a driving pinion mounted for longitudinal movement relatively thereto to engage when advanced a gear member of the engine to be started, means for lost-motion rotary connection between said pinion and shaft, and connecting means between said shaft and pinion arranged for longitudinal advancement of the pinion when the shaft is rotated and yieldable to permit the shaft to take up said lostmotion and positively rotate the pinion in eventiof non-registering abutment of the teeth'of said pinion and engine-gear.

8. An engine starter drive including a rotatable driving shaft, a driving pinion mounted thereon for longitudinal movement to engage when advanced a gear member of the engine to be started, means establishing lost-motion rotary connection between said pinion and shaft, and resilient connections between said shaft and pinion adapted and arranged to longitudinally advance the pinion when the shaft is rotated, to substantially take up said lost-motion in advancing said pinion to gear-meshing position and to yield for permitting the shaft to take up the lost-motion and positively rotate the pinion in event of non-registering abutment of the teeth of said pinion and gear.

9. In an engine starter drive, a rotary shaft, a pinion slidably mounted thereon for movement into and out of mesh with a toothed member of an engine to be started. means for shifting and driving the pinion from said shaft including a plurality of leaf spring members spirally disposed, anchored at one end of said shaft. and connections between the spring members and the pinion whereby relative rotation of the shaft and pinion causes the pinion to be pushed into mesh with the engine gear and to be drawn out of'mesh therewith.

10. In an engine start-er drive. a rotary shaft, a pinion slidably mounted thereon for movement into and out of mesh with a toothed member of an engine to be'started, means for shifting and driving the pinion 

